Jonathan Kent (Earth 1)
Metropolis University (formerly) |relatives=Martha Kent (wife) Clark Kent (adoptive son) Hiram Kent (father; deceased) Jessica Kent (mother; deceased) |status=Deceased |species=Human |gender=Male |universe=Earth 1 |first appearance=Smallville Season 1 Episode 1: Pilot |death=Smallville Season 5 Episode 12: Reckoning }}Jonathan Kent '''(born September 1, 1954) was Martha Kent's husband and Clark Kent's adoptive father. A longtime farmer, he ran the Kent Farm until he was elected Senator from Kansas. Jonathan went to great lengths to protect his son's secret, including almost killing a reporter who was going to expose Clark’s secret to the Earth and making a deal with Jor-El that eventually cost him his own life. Jonathan's heart was strained while he was imbued with all of Clark's powers. When Jonathan decided to run for a seat in the Kansas Senate against Lex Luthor. Jonathan won the senatorial seat, but after a physical altercation with Lionel Luthor, whom he believed was trying to exploit Clark's abilities, Jonathan suffered a heart attack and died. He was buried in Smallville Cemetery, adjacent to his family's farm. Sometime later, Jonathan's spirit appeared to console Clark and even attended his wedding. Jonathan's spirit later reappeared at the Fortress of Solitude to present to Clark his Superman suit, reminding his son to never let go of Smallville. Physical Appearance Jonathan Kent had an average look to his person, with dark blond hair and sky blue eyes: he sometimes would have stubble and other times he was clean shaven. He was around the same height as his son Clark and would nearly always wear simple clothes that consisted of plaid, low collar shirts and blue jeans. He also favored a dark tan/brown jacket, wearing it nearly every day of his adult life. Jonathan kept his hair cropped short in the early 2000s while he was seen with medium length hair in late 2005 to early 2006. Perry White once mistakenly wore Jonathan's jacket because he didn't know that it belonged to Jonathan and Clark also wore it once. When he visited Clark in late 2010, Jonathan had longer hair and he wore his usual jacket with a plaid shirt underneath and blue jeans. Vessel of Jor-El Jor-El selected or made Jonathan a Kryptonian vessel during their pact with one another about Clark Kent. Jor-El appeared to have "used" Jonathan and was connected with him in a much differently way than he was when he was "using" Lionel Luthor, as Lionel became a direct emissary and oracle for Jor-El wherein he would articulate Kryptonian texts and other writings whereas Jonathan was more of a mouth piece in which he would often hear Kryptonian frequencies and sounds and Jonathan didn't appear affected by the effects of Kryptonite whereas Lionel exhibited some signs. Jonathan sees no other alternative to his problem and ﻿goes to speak with Jor-El, an artificial entity who resides in the Kawatche Caves' activation wall and is Clark's biological Kryptonian father and uses the Key to converse with him about retrieving his son Clark Kent, who has gotten infected with red kryptonite and Jor-El obliges under the condition that Jonathan will return him when it is time for him to fulfill his Kryptonian calling and within their pact, Jor-El bestows Jonathan with temporary Kryptonian powers and abilities. Later on, in Metropolis, Clark as Kal under the influence of Red kryptonite, steals an item from a vault in LuthorCorp Plaza, as well as gets confronted by his father and Jonathan runs at him extremely fast and they fall out a window. Down below, they take part in a superpowered fight and Jonathan eventually convinces Clark to smash the ring and come home to face his problems and then Jor-El immediately leaves Jonathan's body, although it is later revealed that he retained a direct connection with Jor-El. Jonathan, after returning from the hospital, is on the roof installing a weather vane, despite his wife's concerns. Then suddenly out of no where, he hears a high pitched whine ringing sound due to his connection with Jor-El and falls off the roof, but Clark manages to save him. Clark presses for what just happened, but Jonathan angrily says, "Damn it, Kal-El. I can get it myself", which alarms Clark and Martha, as well as Clark thinks it has something to do with his dad's deal. Later on, Jonathan heads to the caves with the Key, but is confronted by Lionel and they fight for the Key, which phases through the wall and disappears. Later, Jonathan reveals to Clark that the Key in fact isn’t in the wall but is still out there. It is seen in Dr. Virgil Swann's possession. Later on, Clark gets stabbed by Jeremiah with Palak and almost dies, but Jonathan through Jor-El, heals him. Jor-El transferred his own Kryptonian power to Jonathan so he could bring his son home, these powers instantly disappeared after the red kryptonite ring was destroyed: *Super Strength' - Jonathan was given Jor-El's strength and therefore was able to quell Clark's uncontrollable power and take him home. *'Super Speed' - Jonathan was given Jor-El's speed and therefore could travel at crazy speeds. *'Invulnerability' - Jonathan was invulnerable to anything of Earthly-origin. Early life Jonathan was born on 1 September 1954, or late 1961 or early 1962. He was the son of Hiram and Jessica Kent. He lived in Smallville on the Kent Farm his whole life. Jonathan attended Smallville High School and was the star of the football team: during this time, he dated Nell Potter. At one point, he ran away from home one summer and tried out for the Metropolis Sharks. Jonathan met Martha Clark at Metropolis University. Martha asked Jonathan for some notes, even though she was the note-taker for the class. When Martha asked how he knew she would return them, Jonathan told her, "I prefer to believe in people": Martha still remembers thinking "I hope he marries me" at the time. Martha and Jonathan then began dating. Later, Jonathan asked Martha's father, William Clark, for her hand in marriage, but William rejected him, saying he had raised his daughter for better things than being a farmer's wife. Out of anger Jonathan hit William and he and Martha married anyway. On the day of his wedding, Jonathan's father gave him a compass, just in case he got lost going down the aisle. Jonathan and William remained estranged until Jonathan's death. Jonathan and Martha managed the Kent Farm together and were respected members of the Smallville community. Jonathan and Martha were exiting Nell Potter's flower shop in 1989 when the first meteor shower struck Smallville. On their way back home, a meteor landed close to their truck, flipping it over. Jonathan and Martha were still alive, hanging upside down in their seat-belts, when Jonathan noticed a toddler approach the truck. He was alone, naked, as well as appeared to be about 3 years-old. Jonathan and Martha also found a small spacecraft in the field and assumed the boy had emerged from it. They took the boy with them and hid the ship in the back of their truck. While fleeing, Jonathan and Martha came across Lionel Luthor, who asked them for their help because his son Lex was unconscious after the meteors hit. Lionel was so grateful for Jonathan's quick actions that he offered him anything in return which, at the moment, Jonathan declined. When Sheriff Ethan visited the Kent Farm later on, he saw and inquired about the little boy. Put on the spot, Martha hurriedly lied, calling the boy "Clark" (after her maiden name) and claimed that they had just adopted him. Martha and Jonathan then needed to quickly make the story true and enlisted Lionel's help to provide fake adoption papers. Lionel drew up the papers, but required that Jonathan go to Bill Ross and convince him to sell the Ross Creamed Corn Factory to Lionel. Despite being unsure as to whether or not he could bring up a superhuman child, Jonathan's morals and upstanding spirit enabled him to raise the child properly. When Clark had to read an essay at school in front of the entire class, parents and teachers, he was very scared but Jonathan convinced him to believe in himself and in what he had written, as well as gave three key phrases to get it right : "Find your center, stand your ground and speak your piece." On the Show Season 1 When Clark was 14, he began to question his strange abilities. After emerging unharmed from being hit by Lex Luthor's car, Clark stuck his arm into a running wood-chipper in front of his shocked father and demanded answers: Jonathan had no other choice but to reveal the truth. He showed Clark the spaceship in the storm cellar and explained how Clark fell from the stars, but emphasized that it didn't matter to him or Martha. When Clark decided to join the football team, Jonathan was concerned that Clark would hurt other players, but Clark insisted that he had his super-strength under control. They reconciled when Clark quit the football team. When Sam Phelan infiltrated the Kent's life to gain information about Clark, he framed Jonathan by placing a body in the barn and manipulated Clark into stealing for him in order to release his father. However, Clark was able to conceal his secret and turn Phelan in and the charges against Jonathan were dropped. The Kent Farm was plagued with long-standing financial difficulties, but Jonathan refused to accept Lex's advice or financial help, saying he did not want to owe the Luthors anything ever again. He encountered Bob Rickman, who could control people's will with a handshake, and found himself inexplicably selling the farm, but was able to get the contract voided. When Clark's powers were transferred to Eric Summers, Jonathan tried to help him adjust to being normal, but ultimately encouraged Clark to go get them back when Eric began wreaking havoc. Jonathan was infected by the Nicodemus flower and displayed strange and erratic behavior. Normally reserved, he openly made out with Martha in the kitchen and when he learned that his loan had been rejected, he took a shotgun to the bank in a rage. Clark was able to stop Jonathan from entering the bank with a shotgun but, to his shock, Jonathan shot Clark in the chest just before he collapsed. Clark enlisted the investigative skills of his friend Chloe Sullivan (Earth 1)Chloe Sullivan and was able to find a cure. Throughout Clark's freshman year, Jonathan and Clark frequently disagreed on Clark's budding friendship with Lex. Jonathan believed Lex to be a self-serving, destructive young man, as well as indirectly indicated that he did not think Lex was the best influence on Clark. Despite Lex's repeated displays of kindness and thoughtfulness, Jonathan was short with Lex and sometimes even openly rude. He was furious when Dominic Sanatori informed him that Lex had been investigating the Kents since Clark saved his life and he and Clark had an argument about the friendship yet again. Clark seemed determined to show Jonathan that Lex was not like Lionel and always defended him. For his part, Lex idealized Jonathan and Clark's relationship, seeing it as something he could never have with his own father. He did not like being a cause of strife in their relationship and always encouraged Clark to work things out with Jonathan. As a high-school freshman, Clark developed new powers, strengthened his existing ones, as well as received the unwanted attention of Roger Nixon, an investigative reporter hired by Lex. After confirming Clark's invulnerability, Nixon finally confronted Jonathan about his unusual son the same day several tornadoes hit Smallville. When Nixon threatened to expose Clark's abilities, Jonathan exited the safety of the storm cellar to track Nixon down. Season 2 During the tornadoes, Jonathan exited the storm cellar against Martha's protests to go track Nixon down and prevent him from exposing Clark's powers. They were trapped underneath a building for almost a full day. While trapped, Jonathan received harsh criticism from Nixon, who said that Clark was a world wonder, not his farmhand. Jonathan stood his ground, maintaining that Clark was merely the son he raised. When they were rescued by Clark, Nixon incapacitated Clark with green kryptonite and tried to kidnap him and Jonathan fought Nixon brutally. However, the matter resolved itself when Nixon was shot by Lex just as Nixon was about to deliver Jonathan a fatal blow. When Clark suddenly developed heat vision, Jonathan was able to reassure him that he was not a danger to others by helping him learn to control it. He was also influenced by the pheromones of Desirée Atkins and almost killed Lex, but Clark was able to stop him. Clark defied his parents and told his best friend Pete Ross his secret. Jonathan and Martha were angry at first, but decided that Pete could be trusted after all. Pete's help proved invaluable when he had to help Jonathan subdue Clark when he became volatile and reckless under the influence of red kryptonite. When Jonathan's father-in-law, William Clark, came to visit, Clark asked Jonathan to explain why they didn't get along and Jonathan was forced to reveal his and William's shaky past. In addition, when Rachel Dunleavy came to town claiming to be Clark's mother, Jonathan was also forced to reveal his role in helping Lionel Luthor gain influence in Smallville. Martha gained the opportunity to be Lionel's personal assistant after he was blinded during the tornado storm and the job caused friction in her relationship with Jonathan. When Jonathan broke his leg trying to repair the tractor, Martha felt extreme guilt for not being there to help and offered to quit. Jonathan told her his concerns that the Luthors come first, but knowing that she really enjoyed her job, told her not to quit if she didn't want to. However, when she and Lionel were kidnapped and held hostage in LuthorCorp, Martha learned that Lionel was investigating Clark and decided to quit. Surprisingly, Jonathan recommended she stay, in order to be close to Lionel and see what he knew. Jonathan's issues with Lionel came to a head when he was framed for shooting him by the sheriff of Smallville, his old friend Ethan Miller. Jonathan's name was cleared, but he regretted vocalizing his distaste for the Luthors so publicly. Jonathan's perception of Lex improved when Lex was kicked out of the Luthor Mansion and sought refuge at the Kent Farm. Jonathan gave Lex strenuous and unpleasant farm chores, but Lex pulled his own weight. He admitted that he was surprised and pleased at Lex's work ethic, telling him that he would have made a fine farmer. Jonathan and Lex parted on good terms, but Jonathan was injured again by Lucas Luthor, who cold-cocked him with a gun. Jonathan faced the reality of losing his family when Martha and Clark were infected with kryptonite spores and became deathly ill. The seriousness of the situation was heightened when Jonathan learned that Martha was pregnant. Determined not to lose his family, he broke into the Disease Control Agency warehouse to reclaim the key to activate Clark's ship and cure both Clark and Martha. The Kents prepared for their new arrival with hope and excitement. Shortly afterward, Clark was contacted by Dr. Virgil Swann and learned more about his alien heritage than ever before. Jonathan supported Clark when he opened the ship for the first time and they read a message from Clark's birth father together. Clark began to panic and got upset when he realized that his biological father intended for him to conquer Earth, but Jonathan assured him that he was not bound to any fate and could choose his own destiny. As he prepared to marry Helen Bryce, Lex asked Jonathan and Martha to sit at the table with him and Helen at the wedding. Jonathan gave Lex a compass as a gift- a Kent family tradition, with the compass making sure that the groom didn't lose his way when he was walking up the aisle-, and told him that he thought he was turning into a fine young man. When Clark encountered his Kryptonian father Jor-El for the first time, he was informed that the time had come for him to fulfill his destiny. Clark resisted and devised a plan to destroy the ship. However, Jonathan and Martha were on the way home and the pulse from the exploding ship caused their truck to roll. Jonathan was uninjured, but Martha suffered a miscarriage. Extremely guilty and upset, Clark had to tell Jonathan that it was he who caused the explosion. Faced with the burden of his and Martha's grief, Jonathan never directly blamed Clark for the loss of the baby, but he angrily informed Clark that he should consider the consequences of his actions. Clark's own guilt, coupled with Jonathan's words, caused Clark to dose himself with red kryptonite and run away from home. Season 3 Jonathan and Martha waited anxiously for Clark to return home after he ran away to Metropolis, even as the Kent Farm went into foreclosure and they prepared to move off of Jonathan's family's land. When Pete showed them evidence of Clark's escalating crimes, Jonathan resolved to force Clark to come home. However, Martha pointed out that Jonathan could not stop Clark or force him to do anything, so Jonathan went to the Kawatche Caves, where he established communication with Jor-El. They struck a fateful deal in which Jor-El temporarily bestowed Jonathan with Kryptonian powers. Jonathan and Clark fought until he successfully convinced Clark to smash the red kryptonite ring and return home to face his problems. Lex also returned home and as thanks for accepting him into the family- as well as the compass Jonathan had given him, which had helped Lex make his way to the island where he had lived for the last few weeks-, he absolved the Kents of their debt and bought their farm in their name. Jonathan's terms of his deal with Jor-El were not immediately revealed, but the consequences of his temporary superpowers began to manifest as chronic cardiac problems: as a result, Jonathan's health began to decline. When Clark was shot in the hand and shoulder with a kryptonite bullet by Van McNulty, Jonathan and Martha saved his life by digging it out with pliers and a knife. Jonathan also helped Clark adjust to a period of temporary blindness and helped him hone and control his newest ability, super-hearing. Jonathan was also one of several people affected by hypnotic e-mails and tried to kill Chloe, but she and Clark stopped him and broke the trance. Jonathan suffered his first heart attack in early 2004 and had an extended stay in the Smallville Medical Center. Clark was convinced that Jonathan and Jor-El's deal was the reason for Jonathan's declining health and was extremely guilt-ridden, but Martha and Jonathan tried to assure him that it was not his fault. Jonathan later admitted to Clark that Jor-El's deal is probably why he had a heart attack, but he emphasized that he did not regret his decision. Jonathan was later recommended to have bypass surgery. He was initially reluctant to undergo the surgery, but Clark and Martha reiterated how important he was to their family. However, during the surgery, Garrett Davis took the entire hospital hostage in an attempt to save the life of his brother, Vince, even demanding that Jonathan's liver be given to Vince to save his life. Clark was able to subdue Garrett and Jonathan's surgery was a success. When Clark began dating Alicia Baker, Jonathan caught Alicia and Clark making out in his bedroom in their underwear and he and Martha expressed their strong disapproval of her. When Clark heard a phone call from the future in which Lana Lang was being chased, he had Lana stay at the Kent Farm to keep her safe. Jonathan offered to watch over her while Clark and Chloe investigated the mysterious call. Jonathan let Chloe borrow his truck, but Lana's would-be attacker, Adam Knight, used it to track Lana down. He knocked Jonathan unconscious and abducted Lana, but Clark was able to save her. In addition to his heart problems, Jonathan began to hear the beacon noise made by the key. He fell off the barn roof, but Clark was able to save him. Jonathan then began to display strange behavior and talked openly about how he regretted many of the choices he made in his life. He was drawn back to the Kawatche Caves where he and Lionel had an intense physical fight over the key before it flew into the cave wall and disappeared. Jonathan was seemingly returned to normal, but he could not explain what made him go to the caves and again did not tell Clark the circumstances of his deal with Jor-El. He continued to deal with his declining health problems, expressing to Martha that he was depressed and angry. Jonathan saved Clark's life again when he was stabbed by Jeremiah Holdsclaw and almost bled to death. As he administered pressure to Clark's wound, his hands emitted a burst of energy and the wound instantly healed: Jor-El had used Jonathan as a vessel. Professor Joseph Willowbrook returned to tell Clark his theory that Clark was the fabled savior Naman and Clark talked to his father about the anxiety he felt over his destiny. Jonathan again assured him that he had the choice to make his own future. Jonathan and Jor-El's deal was finally revealed at the end of Clark's junior year, when Jor-El attempted to convince Clark to accept his destiny by luring him into a pocket dimension with the reprogrammed Lindsey Harrison posing as a Kryptonian named Kara. "Kara" appeared at the farm and persuaded Clark to enter the dimension. She exposed the details of Jonathan and Jor-El's deal: That Jonathan would give Clark back to Jor-El when it was time for him to fulfill his destiny. Both Martha and Clark were extremely upset that Jonathan had made such a decision without telling them: Jonathan claimed he did not realize Jor-El would demand Clark back so soon. However, he had suspicions of "Kara"'s true motives and asked Chloe to run a trace on her fingerprints. When Chloe revealed that "Kara" was, in fact, Lindsey, Jonathan realized that Jor-El was deceiving Clark and went to the caves to confront him and stop Clark from entering. Jor-El began to strangle Jonathan to force Clark to return to him and Clark sacrificed himself to save his father's life. He disappeared into Jor-El's pocket dimension and Jonathan was left in a coma. Season 4 Jonathan was comatose for three months in the Smallville Medical Center, during which time Clark's whereabouts were unknown. He miraculously and suddenly awakened when Clark returned reprogrammed as Kal-El and Martha used black kryptonite to restore him as Clark. However, Jonathan's heart problems continued and he was prescribed a variety of medications to combat them. The football issue again caused conflict in Jonathan and Clark's relationship when Clark joined the team again against Jonathan's wishes. Clark insisted that he was much older and able to control his powers, but Jonathan again thought Clark would hurt another player. However, Clark stood his ground and Jonathan allowed him to stay on the team. Jonathan was almost run down in Metropolis by a sleepy driver, but his life was saved by Bart Allen, a young man who could run faster than Clark. When Clark and Lionel switched bodies, Jonathan didn't seem concerned by Clark's strange behavior (unlike Martha), but he was injured when Lionel-in-Clark threw him across the kitchen. During one of Clark's football games, Clark was controlled into tripping by Mikhail Mxyzptlk and caused one boy to suffer a minor injury. Jonathan told Clark to quit, but Clark was firm in his belief that the injury was not his fault. He told Jonathan that he makes a conscious decision to react normally with every physical contact and that there was no way Jonathan could ever understand. Jonathan conceded and Clark went on to take the football team to a state championship. Jonathan and Martha were part of several victims of an airborne toxin that caused several Smallville residents to hallucinate their worse fear. Clark found them passed out and was able to help Lex create an antidote and save them. Shortly afterward, Clark reunited with Alicia Baker, as well as Martha and Jonathan once again told Clark that they disapproved of their relationship. However, under the influence of red kryptonite, Clark ran away with Alicia and "married" her in Las Vegas. Although the marriage wasn't legal, Jonathan was so angry with Clark for his lapse in judgment that he wouldn't even face him. When Alicia died, Jonathan and Martha were uncharacteristically smug and didn't offer Clark any useful coping advice. Clark received a football scholarship from his parents' ''alma mater Metropolis University. However, when he met Met U football player Geoff Johns, who admitted that he had been forced to start using his powers in college due to the added pressure of the game, Clark decided that he would not be able to play college football and conceal his powers and turned down his scholarship. Jonathan was bitten in the arm by a kryptonite-enhanced Rottweiler, but saved by another dog, a golden retriever. Clark learned that they were products of a failed LuthorCorp experiment and Jonathan warned him that they would most likely be destroyed. Clark pleaded with Jonathan to let him keep the golden retriever. Jonathan relented and Martha named him "Shelby." Jonathan and Martha chaperoned Clark's senior prom, even though Clark didn't want to go. Jonathan's presence proved invaluable when the spirit of would-be Prom Queen Dawn Stiles possessed Chloe. As Dawn, Chloe pushed Jonathan down the stairs, but he was revived by Clark. When Dawn's spirit leapt into Clark, Jonathan forced her out with green kryptonite and restored Clark to normal. As Clark's high school graduation approached, he revealed to his parents that he had turned down his Met U scholarship to attend a closer college. Jonathan and Clark both knew that he would be unable to run the farm without Clark, but Jonathan urged Clark to make his decision based on what he wanted, not what was best for the farm. He admitted to Clark that he resented his own father for needing him and didn't want Clark to feel the same way. However, Clark displayed the maturity and sound reasoning his parents instilled in him, insisting that he wanted to stay and help with the farm. On the day of Clark's graduation, they received word of another impending meteor shower and Jonathan and Martha were forced to evacuate. Clark revealed that he had to stay behind because he had neglected to fulfill Jor-El's task of reuniting the Stones of Power. Jonathan and Martha reluctantly prepared to leave without him, but they were taken hostage by Jason Teague, who threatened to kill Martha unless Jonathan told him where Clark hid the Crystal of Knowledge. However, Jonathan managed to attack Jason by surprise, but a meteor hit the Kents' house. Season 5 Jonathan managed to survive the second meteor shower with minor injuries, but Martha was more seriously hurt. Lois Lane arrived to help Jonathan get Martha to the hospital. When Martha and Jonathan returned home, Clark announced that Jor-El had stripped him of his powers. Jonathan and Martha were shocked, but Clark maintained that he was glad to see them go. Shortly afterward, Jonathan, Martha and Lana were taken hostage by three metahuman fugitives who forced Clark to infiltrate a LuthorCorp facility and steal a serum to which they had become addicted. With Chloe's help, Clark was able to save the day without his powers. When Jonathan and Martha found out that Clark and Lana had begun a sexual relationship, he gave Clark a stern lecture on responsibility. However, the subject was forgotten when, that same day, Clark was shot by Gabriel Duncan. Clark died at the hospital, but was resurrected by Jor-El who was using Lionel as a vessel. With his powers restored, Clark saved the entire town again and Jonathan told him that he was very proud. Jonathan asked if Jor-El wanted anything in return, but Clark denied this. Jonathan seemed skeptical, but he was, no doubt, so glad to see Clark alive again that he did not press the issue. Jonathan's oldest friend, Kansas State Senator Jack Jennings, came to visit the farm in the fall to ask Jonathan to drum up support for his campaign. However, it was soon disclosed that Jennings had been having an affair with a stripper, Melissa Paige, who turned up dead. Jennings maintained that he had nothing to do with her death, but he admitted to the affair. Jonathan took him to task for failing in his duty to be a moral role model and Jennings decided that the scandal was too detrimental to his campaign and chose to drop out to work on his personal problems. He suggested that Jonathan run in his place. Jonathan was skeptical at first: Martha objected because she was afraid it would put unwanted attention on their family, but Clark was unwilling to be the cause of Jonathan's reluctance. While deciding to run, Jonathan was approached by Lionel, who offered financial support against Lex, claiming that it would be dangerous for Lex to win his first foray into politics. However, Clark had become infected with silver kryptonite and hallucinated that Jonathan was planning to turn him over as a test subject in exchange for Lionel's money. In a rage, he assaulted Jonathan and Martha before he was subdued by Chloe. Jonathan and Martha learned that Chloe had learned Clark's secret a year ago. When Clark was restored to normal, he urged his father to make his decision on what he thought was best and to not let fear of his secret being exposed ruin their family's life. Clark's deal with Jor-El was revealed when Martha contracted a strange Kryptonian illness. Clark admitted that Jor-El predicted that his life-force would be exchanged for one of his loved ones. Worried about Martha's deteriorating condition, Jonathan was angry that Clark had not told him and instructed him to handle the situation. However, the illness was caused by Professor Milton Fine: Clark defeated him and Martha was cured. Jonathan approached Clark again and in softer tones, advised him not to dwell on Jor-El's warning and live life to the fullest. Jonathan's campaign was in full swing by Christmas of 2005. He hired Lois Lane as his campaign manager and she and Martha managed his finances. However, Martha was approached by Lionel, who again offered to finance Jonathan's campaign. Not wanting him to lose simply because they were out of money, Martha accepted his offer. When Jonathan found out, he blamed Lois, but later had to apologize when Martha admitted responsibility. Jonathan decided to mortgage a sizable portion of the farm, known as the "Back Forty," to pay Lionel back. When Samantha Drake, a deranged fan of Lex, began stalking Jonathan, she and her henchmen beat him up and tied him from the rafters of the barn. He was not seriously injured, so Samantha hatched a new plan to force Lois to shoot Jonathan during a speech. However, Clark and Lois were able to stop Samantha, and Jonathan was saved. It was revealed, though, that the stress the campaign was beginning to affect Jonathan, and he began to have heart trouble again. The attack bolstered Jonathan's popularity even more, and on January 26, 2006, Jonathan defeated Lex in the election and won the race. They held an election party at the Talon in his honor. While the producers never revealed which party Jonathan Kent belonged to, he was a staunch advocate of farm subsidies. Unfortunately, this night, Jor-El's prediction came true. The night of the election, Jonathan received a phone call asking for a meeting at the barn, and he left the party to meet the caller. Newly engaged to Clark, Lana was killed in a car accident. Clark was devastated, and Jonathan drove by the scene and stopped to comfort him. Clark begged Jor-El to reverse time so he could prevent Lana's death. In the altered turn of events, Jonathan met the caller: Lionel. Lionel asked for a partnership in his term, and showed Jonathan a photograph of Clark emerging unscathed from an explosion. Jonathan reacted with anger and declared that the Luthors would not ruin his family. He beat Lionel up in a rage, and told him to stay away from them. Martha and Clark arrived home to find Jonathan staggering out of the barn. He collapsed into his family's arms, and died that night. The entire town of Smallville attended Jonathan's funeral, including both Luthors. Clark confessed to Martha that he blamed himself, but she tried to assure him that there was nothing he could do. Post Mortem Season 5 Sometime after Jonathan's death, Clark was injected with the Limbo drug, a kryptonite-based serum that gave him the chance to "cross over" and see his father. Jonathan informed Clark that he will become a symbol of peace and justice on Earth, and that Lionel knew his secret. He "pushed" Clark back to life, vowing to always be with Clark. On his nineteenth birthday, Clark saw Jonathan's spirit at his gravestone, and was surprised and confused when Jonathan instructed him to kill Lionel. Jonathan also appeared to Martha, urging her to convince Clark to kill Lionel. However, the apparition was revealed to be a trick by Brainiac: Lionel had become the Kryptonian vessel for Jor-El, and Brainiac attempted to manipulate Clark into eliminating him. Clark discovered Lionel's meeting with Jonathan the night of his death, and almost succeeded in killing him, but Lionel successfully talked him out of it by pointing out that Jonathan would never want Clark to take a life. Season 8 After almost dying when he was shot through the heart while temporarily powerless, Clark saw a smiling, happy Jonathan and Martha, and a very young Lana Lang in his dream sequence. He later admitted to the Martian Manhunter that he felt he had been holding onto a life on the farm that had not existed for a very long time. Season 9 When Clark and Lois got back from their get away trip, Zod was at the Kent House when he called up Lois. He was pretending to be the Blur and asked her to spy on Tess Mercer and try to find anything useful. While he was talking on the phone, he picked up a picture with Clark and Jonathan on the shelf right next to the stairway. Later, Perry White (Martha's new boyfriend) wore Jonathan's jacket, which made Martha believe that it was Jonathan and becoming upset when she realized it wasn't. Season 10 Jonathan appeared on the farm, consoling Clark after his meeting with Jor-El. Jonathan told Clark that he would be a great hero but first he had to overcome the greatest trial he will ever face, saying Jor-El was right about a dark force that was coming. Clark asked him what this force was, but when he turned back, Jonathan was gone. Upon returning from the future and taking the advice of Brainiac 5 into consideration, Clark, clad in his updated Blur costume, went to Jonathan's gravesite, where he admitted that he had been unable to let go of the past, and of him. Saying that he will always keep Smallville in his heart, Clark stated it was time for him to move on. Taking Jonathan's old watch, Clark buried it under the grass of Jonathan's grave and says a final "good-bye" to his father, promising to become the man his father brought him up to be. When Martha came back to the farm for Clark and Lois' wedding, she saw an image of Jonathan's face in a picture of the two of them. She then argued with Clark about selling the farm and about Jonathan. Martha said that Jonathan was with them both and Clark could see him too if he allowed himself to. Clark explained that he had before. When Clark left, stating he had to get rid of the past to move on, Jonathan's ghost stood in the house, looking sad over his son's decision. Clark, confused, visited Jonathan's grave again where Jonathan's spirit appeared to him like he had before. He tried to convince Clark not to leave the past behind and to let him and his mother be there for him. He later appeared at Clark and Lois' wedding to Clark, nodding at him as he walked down the aisle and then, unseen to anyone else, took a seat next to Martha to watch the wedding. When the planet Apokolips was coming to Earth, Jonathan spoke to Clark in the loft about how this was his time and that he had to let Jor-El guide him from this point on because he was starting a new chapter in his life. Martha arrived and Jonathan and Martha comforted Clark, the Kents reunited as the end of the Earth loomed. Clark left to go face the threat while Jonathan and Martha watched him depart the farm. After Clark defeated Darkseid, he went to the Fortress where Jonathan handed him the suit, telling him to always hold on to Smallville. He proudly gave his son the suit which Clark accepted and then took flight with the suit, accepting his destiny. Alternate Realities Season Seven See: Jonathan Kent (Apocalypse) Season Ten See: Jonathan Kent (Earth 2) Appearances Notes * Jonathan and Clark went on an annual fishing trip from the time Clark was 7 until he was 14 when Clark admitted that he did not like fishing anymore. * In the comics, Jonathan has a deceased brother and sister-in-law. These aren't established to exist in Smallville continuity. However, the fact that Kara managed to come to Smallville (a small town, where Jonathan lived all his life) and was successfully passed off as Jonathan's niece, implies that Jonathan might've had a brother. Relationships Male Relationships *Jonathan and Lionel *Clark and Jonathan *Lex and Jonathan Female Relationships *Martha and Jonathan *Lois and Jonathan Love Triangle *Lionel, Martha and Jonathan Category:Characters Category:Smallville Residents Category:Deceased Characters Category:Earth 1 Characters Category:Deceased Earth 1 Characters Category:DC Comics Characters Category:Deceased DC Comics Characters